Ferdinand Martin Tin Toy Mystery Ball *SOLD*

Ferdinand Martin Tin Toy for sale- Mystery Ball

This is an absolute joy to see in the flesh!  Our Ferdinand Martin “Mystery Ball” combines tin toy details, hand painting, and mechanical action.  In fact the mechanical action is one of the most complex, yet simplified, to be seen.  It takes a mind altering circus stunt– a ball rolling up a spiral and does it in toy form.  It also makes the ball open at the top & it showcases the performer!

Height is just over 14″ tall. 95% of the toy is tin and paint.

First you pull the cord slowly like a plastic kids swimming toy.  Yet here, there is a distinct ratcheting and mechanical noise that hints at mechanical prowess.  The toy builds up quite a bit of energy for the performance.  As the cord gets pulled, the performer hides back inside the ball and the ball travels back to the toy base.   Then you release the cord and the performer rolls up the curving ramp.  Much of this action is hidden inside the base as well as inside the spiral cut shaft.  It is ingenious!

Check out the video for details.  Better yet, enjoy one of these Martin creations in person with a purchase!

Legend has it that circus contortionist Leon LeRoche took his inspiration for “La Boule Mysterieuse” from a popular gambling game that set up outside the show’s tent in Romania. After gamblers placed bets on one of several numbers, the showman let a ball roll from the top of a foot-high spiral, shouting as the ball made its way to the winning number. LaRoche’s legendary act, which was celebrated by this 1906 tin litho toy, had him scaling a 12-foot high spiral while inside a metal ball that rolled slowly and mysteriously upwards.

Others say the toy is based on a famous circus act of the Barnum and Bailey Circus from 1905. As with most aspects of history, performers and people borrow ideas from each other and the past is murky. Call it co-development even.